The Shattered Prayer

Another week another story. This one is Elephant Bones. I think it may need some more work, but I’m going to go ahead and post it. I hope you like it.

Elephant Bones

The Stranger parted the veil and the walls before him opened like the petals of a fetid flower.

As the walls parted, his three traveling companions shielded themselves from the falling stones and debris. A harsh and burning light then shot forth from the new opening and his companions turned to protect themselves.

The Stranger, however, did not turn from the light. He continued to open the portal in spite of the danger to himself.

When the rending had ceased, his companions turned to look at what lay before them. The walls had peeled back and through the opening, they could see an entire world teeming with the most unlikely of creatures. It was beautiful but repellant all at the same time. Creatures from nightmare interacted with creatures from fantasy. And all of them had one thing on their mind.

The Stranger announced, “Behold the Fair Market. If an object cannot be obtained here, it is not worth having. Now quickly! Go through the barrier before it closes. Once this doorway seals, we will never be able to access the Market from this location again. Go now while I hold it for you.”

His three companions quickly ran into the opening in the ruins before them. As they passed through the doorway, they felt a curious burning sensation. It was if they were being purged of the remnants of one reality as they inhabited another. The feeling was at once unpleasant and exhilarating. As the last of them entered the Fair Market, the Stranger stepped through as well and the door closed behind him.

Once they were in the Market they looked around, amazed at the sights. Since they had joined him on his travel’s, the Stranger’s companions had seen many unusual, frightening, and wonderous things, but those sights paled in comparison to what they saw now. Creatures from the myths and nightmares of a thousand worlds walked casually among the stalls, kiosks, and stands of the market. Here and there were a smattering of humans and aliens that they recognized from their own universe. But mostly the Fair was inhabited by beings that resisted easy description. Creatures made of thought, of light, of pure emotion mixed with sprites, goblin, merfolk, and unicorns. Right in front of them a being of pure anger fought with a Manticore over what seemed to be an egg. Soon, there verbal sparring became physical and both of them started to rend the bodies of the other. The other denizens of the Fair ignored the squabble and the Manticore and the anger being tore each other to pieces.

The Stranger had seen sights even more amazing than this, but to his three companions, this was quite literally one of the most incredible experiences of their lives. And their lives had been filled with one incredible experience after another first young Tane and then the twins Tamm and Lalla joined the Stranger on his quest.

The Stranger cautioned them, “Be wary. The Fair Market is a dangerous place. Buy nothing, touch nothing, and stay by my side at all times.”

Tamm, the most logical and insightful of his companions asked, “I assume the name ‘Fair Market’ has nothing to do with pricing strategies or trade values.”

The Stanger nodded. “Your assumption is quite correct. The Fair Market is so named because it is run by the Fair Folk of Earth, perhaps the most devious and enticing of the creatures of the multiverse. There is little ‘Fair’ about their trade. It often comes with a horrible price. But many of the items here can be found in few other places. And some, like the item I seek, can only be found here. But you must be wary. Mixed in with these rarities are items as common as sand in a desert. It is quite easy to be cheated in the Fair Market. If you are not careful, you may even lose your life.”

Tane, his youngest companion said, “We’ll be sure to be careful then.”

His final companion, Lalla, Tamm’s twin asked, “Can we help you find the vendor you are looking for?”

The Stranger shook his head. “No.” He then reconsidered as if realizing the rudeness of his tone. His companions had by now grown accustomed to his lack of emotion. It was just one of the many curious things about him. But they had come to trust him with their lives. And each of them also owed their lives to him. He tried to be conciliatory. “Although I thank you for the offer, I know the way to the stall of the one with whom I wish to do business. Follow me. And remember, touch nothing.”

The four of them took off at a fast pace to some place deep in the Market. Tane, Tamm, and Lalla found themselves winnowing their way through the crowds trying not to touch anything or to touch anything in return, save the ground beneath their feet. The task proved incredibly difficult, especially considering the pace that the Stranger set. But things with the Stranger were never easy.

Finally the Stanger stopped in front of one of the largest vending stalls they had seen in the Market. And unlike many of the other vendor locations, there was a wide space around this one, as if the others did not want to compete with him.

Or, with what seemed far more like, were afraid to be near him.

The vendor looked up and smiled at the Stranger. He did not look at the Stanger’s companions.

“Hello, Stranger,” he said with a slight smirk in his voice, “Seeing you is never a pleasant experience. Does your presence mean that I will soon meet some terrible calamity? Is my life in danger? Will the Market itself be destroyed? ”

The Stranger simply replied, “That depends on what items you have in your possession, Nightblossom.”

Nightblossom began to reply, but Tane, falling prey to his own impetuous nature spoke up, “We’re willing to pay any price.”

Nightblossom did not take his eyes from the Stranger. “Your young companion does not know the rules of the barter, I see. Perhaps the Calamity you bring will befall him instead.”

The Stanger said, “Pay him no heed. He is young, brash, and foolish. But he is faithful and loyal.”

Nightblossom took his eyes off of the Stranger and looked into Tane’s eyes. Although he had not noticed it before, as soon as Nightblossom’s eyes met his, Tane found himself overcome by the beauty of the Fair One. Never in his life had he ever seen someone as attractive and beguiling as this.

Not able to control himself, Tane said, “My apologies, Master Nightblossom. I do not mean to offend you. I am new to the Market. And I deeply regret transgressing as one as beautiful as you. You are the most amazing creature I have ever seen.”

Nightblossom smiled, “Or will ever see, Tane Haranaan.”

The Stranger cautioned Tane, “What you see is not what exits before you. His appearance is a glamour, Tane. Everyone sees what they most desire when looking upon Nightblossom of the Fair Folk. His true visage, however, is somewhat more – frightening.”

Nightblossom smiled, “Thank you for the compliment, Stranger. I am very frightening. As you well know. But I wonder what my glamour evokes in you. What is it that you see, Stranger, when you look into my eyes?”

The Stranger simply replied, “I see Freedom.”

Nightblossom laughed, the most beautiful and harmonious laugh any of the Stranger’s companions had ever heard. “For that bit of honesty, I am willing to bend the rules for your ignorant companions. That in itself is a worthy item of trade. I will take it and in return spare your companion from the punishment which should come his way.” Nightblossom looked at Tane and asked, “Does that seem Fair to you, Tane Haranaan?”

Tane was surprised. “I have not used that name in some time. How do you know I am a Haranaan?”

“Tane Haranaan, erstwhile Emperor of Telstock? Of course I know your Heritage. You are all quite famous, you know. You, the boy Emperor who gave up his rule to follow a mysterious Stranger on a quest to, well, that would be telling, wouldn’t it, Stranger? Although you think you’ve hidden your identity, there are those of us who know.”

Nightblossom then turned to the twins. “Just as I know your companions are Tamm and Lalla Segal, last known survivors of the planet Kyntrah. And what a pair of twins as well. Brilliant Tamm and artistic Lalla. The two most famous women on Kyntrah. And yet the Stranger saved only the two of you. No one else on your planet. I wonder why that was. Why does he only save a select few? And why would he take you on his quest. Tell me, Stranger. Do they know what your quest is? Do they understand the implications? The danger?”

Lalla broke in angrily. “Of course we do. We are not fools. The Stranger is the most honorable man I have ever known. He tried to save all of Kyntrah. It is not his fault it was destroyed. Just as he is now trying to save the multiverse from imminent destruction. We know that the task before us is dangerous, we know that there is a possibility that we may fail, just as we failed on our home planet. But we believe in him. And we are willing to follow him. We are willing to sacrifice what we must to make sure he succeeds.”

“Such an impressive display of loyalty. I wonder, Stranger. Are you worth such heroic displays? Do they know that following you is to follow death?” Asked Nightblossom. “Saving the multiverse must be a dangerous task. Are all of you willing to follow him unto your deaths? All of you?”

“Unto to the death!” Tane responded forcefully.

Nightblossom looked to Tane and then back to Tamm and Lalla. “Then you must be fools. You follow a man known to only as the Stranger. He did not even bother to tell you his real name. You do not even know his particular curse. Destruction always follows him. The dissolution of the Telstockian Emperorship and the destruction of Kyntrah being only two examples.”

The Stranger leaned forward menacingly and said to Nightblossom, “You know as well as I that my particular curse is to follow destruction, not cause it.”

Nightblossom simply smiled, “And now you seek to alter you curse. You wish not to witness destruction but instead to stop it. And not just any petty destruction. You seek to stop Armageddon itself. Well, I wish you good luck in that.”

Nightblossom then quickly changed the subject and turned back to Tane, “Allow me to fill you in on how this Market works, dear boy. Dear loyal, faithful Tane – the Stranger was correct to pull you away from your Emperorship. Those are the adjectives to describe a servant, not a leader. I do not want or need your money. We only work in trade. The only way that I would be interested in money would be if there were something about the money itself that were of value beyond its currency. A cursed coin, a bill dipped in the blood of a betrayed lover. That sort of thing.”

Nightblossom then pulled out three sticks from below his stall. On the end of them were chunks of seared meat. It should have looked off putting, but it somehow seemed the most delicious thing any of them had ever seen. “But in spite of our bartering ways, we have been known to give away free wares to entice our traders. Please, Tane, Tamm, Lalla, have a treat on me.” He held the meat kabobs out to them.

The Stranger warned, “Do not take the offered food.”

Lalla stepped back warily. “I’ve heard if you eat food from the Fair folk you will be bound to their realm forever,” She said.

The Stranger nodded.,“There is that. But it I also warn you away from eating the food itself. It is the flesh of your own kind. It is human meat.”

Nightblossom smiled, “Of course it is! I only offer the rarest and most expensive treat I have to show that there are no hard feelings here. Human meat is considered a delicacy among so many. The goblins, the manticores. Even among some of your own kind. It is a highly sought after prize. Especially if it is the meat of a royal. Many creatures love the idea of eating a human leader, turning it into so much shit in the end.”

Lalla spat, “You are disgusting.”

Nightblossom dismissed Lalla’s assessment, “You are the ones who come to me. And yet you dare to pass judgment. Well, if you do not want my free gifts, and I will not accept any money, then what do you offer in trade?”

The Stranger unfurled a pouch that no one had seen him carry before. And the contents emptied from within were larger than the pouch itself.

“You may have one of the items I carry with me,” The Stranger offered.

Nightblossom looked through the items one by one. “Interesting.” He said as he held up a small vial of clear liquid. “The tears of one falsely accused. How. . . esoteric. And essential in many spells, at least to those in the know.”

He held up another vial, one that seemed empty. “The breath of one who cannot become ill. Strength in a bottle. What are you making, Stranger, a golem perhaps? What instructions will you write into its mouth?”

Nightblossom then held up a hand. “A hand from the Source. That must have cost you. So much power.” He picked up another item. “And this. The calcified heart of one of the Worn Out. The Jade Sisterhood must have fought you hard for this one.” He then picked up what seemed to be a carving of an erect penis. “And the Phallus of Ra. Here is the flesh of one served in revenge, and the skin from one of the Host. Why, you even have the Orb of Lafti Haadha to imbue it with the spark of creation. You are creating a homunculus. You seek to create life itself. Playing Frankenstein does suit you, Stranger.”

Nightblossom then paused. A look of evil intent spread across his face. He then said slowly, “But you are missing a few things, are you not? The Eyes of Enkaara. They aren’t here, I see. What would you be willing to trade for the eyes, I wonder? But no. Not the eyes. You said I could have any one item. You cannot be after the Eyes. Not from me at least. Unless you considered the pair an item, one single item. But you cannot believe that. They are separate. One for mind and one for spirit. So what do you need that you would consider ‘one thing’?”

Realization dawned on Nightblossom and he could not believe his luck. “You evil dirty bastard. I have to admire your sense of entitlement. As well as your reckless disregard for others. Tell me, Stranger, do you consider a skeleton one or many things? Are you after the elephant bones, Stranger? What could you possibly have to trade that could be worth that?”

“I have many things of value.” The Stranger countered.

“And every one of them would be needed in this most dangerous spell you are attempting to perform. If you traded them for the bones, you would be at square one. You would need to trade something besides what you have in this pouch. I cannot see your being willing to part with anything therein contained.”

The Stranger said nothing. Tane however, was intrigued with what Nightblossom was saying.

“We’re making an elephant?” he asked.

The Stranger shook his head.

Nightblossom was more forthcoming. “The Elephant Bones are not the bones of an elephant. They are the bones of a creature extinct long before any other intelligent life arose in the multiverse. A god, if will, roughly in your present form. The form of a human.”

“Then why are they called Elephant Bones?” Tamm asked.

Nightblossom looked to the Stranger to see if he would answer. When he did not, Nightblossom continued, “Because the bones remember. They remember all that has happened and all that will happen. To construct a creature from these bones would be to imbue it with an omniscience that would be truly terrifying.”

Tamm nodded “To defeat the end of the multiverse, you would need such knowledge. It makes sense.”

Lalla said, “But it is horrifying. To use someone’s bones like that. To make them a puppet.”

Tamm said, “But it is necessary, Lalla, to do what needs to be done.”

Nightblossom laughed and said, “Ah, you young women delight me. You look the same, but you are so different. One is all mind and one is all spirit. Interesting choice of companions, Stranger.”

Tamm and Lalla were both unnerved by what Nightblossom had just said. Tamm more so because she caught the implication. For the first time since coming to the Fair she was truly afraid. She knew things were going to end badly for them all.

The Stranger said, “I know you have the bones. What do you want in return?”

Nightblossom shook his head slowly. “Oh, it doesn’t work that way, Stranger. Tell me what you are willing to give up. Terrify your companions. Make them fear you as the others here fear me. What will you be willing to offer in return?”

The Stranger was backed into a corner. He knew what had to be offered in trade. And yet he had become somewhat fond of his possessions. He did not want to offer them up.

But he had no choice. The fate of everything relied on it. He could break his curse. He could have his freedom. And he could stop the destruction of everything.

The Stanger sighed. “I offer Tane.”

Tane gasped and stepped back. Lalla was horrified, not believing what she had just heard. She looked first to the Stranger and then back to Tane. “You can’t.” she whispered.

Tamm, alone, reacted not at all. Her insightful and level mind had already guessed what the Stranger was planning.

Tane said, “Please, Stranger, I have served you well. I have given up everything for you. You cannot trade me off as some slave to this creature.”

Nightblossom laughed that intriguing and beautiful laugh once more. “Oh, you won’t be my slave, dear one. I intend to make you into a treat. There are many creatures who would offer much for the meat of a royal.”

Tane stepped back. Lalla said, “You cannot do this, Stranger. It is evil.”

The Stranger said, “It will save all of creation. Surely you can see the necessity.”

Tane began to shake. Tears came to his eyes. Although small, he had always carried himself with a sense of bravado and the importance of royalty. But now, he looked like the small frightened 16 year old boy that he was. “No, please, Stranger. I gave up everything to come with you. I gave up the Emperorship. I have done all that you have asked. We have done so many good things. It cannot end like this.”

The Stranger said, “It is regrettable, but you said not 10 minutes ago that you would follow me unto the death. In order to make this creature, I need the elephant bones. And in order to get the bones, I need to offer you. If it is any consolation, I have been pleased with your contribution to my cause.”

Tane broke down. “Please don’t do this. Please.”

Nightblossom said, “Enough of your crying. The trade has been offered and accepted. Tane Haranaan, you are now mine.”

And as he said this, Tane was rent of his clothes and skin. He screamed as he was flayed alive, then fell dead towards the ground. But before he hitting it, he was upended by some unseen force and taken aloft to the top of Nightblossom’s stand. Lalla looked up horrified and saw that many human corpses were hanging from there like so many sides of beef. Lalla fell to the ground and vomited, not believing what she was seeing.

Tamm, who had not reacted through the entire ordeal watched as the bones appeared in the Stranger’s pouch. The pouch then disappeared once more. Tamm then asked him in a low menacing tone, “And you saved us to trade for the Eyes, didn’t you, Stranger?”

The Stranger simply nodded and said, “But I have since discovered a way to obtain the eyes without having to trade you. You will be of other use to me, yet.”

Lalla looked up to him from where she was retching. “Lucky us, you heartless bastard.”

Tamm asked, “This creature you are creating. It is a god. It will stop Armageddon. But can you control that creature you are creating?”

Nightblossom laughed, but this time it was at the expense of the Stranger. “Of course not. The Stranger is cursed. He knows Armageddon is coming and he flails around trying to stop it. Offering young royals and refugees in payment for his ambitions. But his curse is to always see destruction. He won’t be able to stop it. Young Tane died for nothing.”

Tamm considered and then turned to Nightblossom. “I renounce my allegiance to the Stranger and claim him instead as my own. I offer him to you, Nightblossom, in return for the knowledge he holds, the spell he is trying to create, and the items in his pouch.”

The Stranger was shocked. He said, “You cannot do this.”

Tamm said, “Surely you are as willing to die for your cause as we are.”

Nightblossom’s beautiful visage grew more sinister. A hunger quickly spread across his face.

“I accept,” he said in a low throaty growl.

Lalla realized what her sister was doing and stood up, wiping the vomit from her mouth. “But what is my sisters is mine. That is how it has always worked. If you take the Stranger from us, you must also give me something in return.”

Nightblossom face grew downright evil, all semblance of beauty completely gone. “Your sister has already bargained much for him. He is not worth much more than that. Be careful, you vomitous thing.”

Lalla did not back down. “As my sister received many things from you, I want many things as well. The Stranger is powerful, as you well know and you will be getting more than your fare share. I want the Eyes. And I want Tane returned to us, unharmed, alive, and just as he was before the Stranger offered him to you.”

At this Nightblossom laughed the most evil laugh that Tamm or Lalla had ever heard. “That is even better. It makes the Stranger’s willingness to sacrifice him moot. I like the way your minds work. I give you back Tane. The Eyes I throw in as a thank you for seeing the Stranger so humbled and humiliated.”

The Stranger was horrified, and stunned as Tane appeared alive in front of him again, repaired, and angry. “Nightblossom, you have no power over me,” he called out.

Nightblossom agreed, “Usually I would have no power over you. No one does. But you are in my domain, now. And in my domain, anyone can trade anything they have with them. You are trapped by a magic far older than your curse.”

He then added, “And there are many who will pay a very high price to have a piece of you, however, small. The twins could have asked for so much more, Stranger. I am getting quite the bargain.”

The Stranger wanted to protest, but he knew once a trade had been made there was nothing that could stop it. He felt himself compressed and pulled.

And then the Stranger cried out in anger and frustrated ambition as the world faded around him.

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